STUTTGART — Helen Boyd
left for heaven on Sunday, April 26, 2020. Helen was born with her twin brother, Henry, on June 15, 1925. They were the youngest in a large family of seven children and the first twins ever born in Estes Park, Colorado.
Her father was Francis Person, a French chef, who immigrated to this country for a better life. He met his future wife, Louise Schaer, a French-Swiss governess, on the ship coming to America. They married four years later and raised seven patriotic Americans who knew the meaning of true love and hard work.
Helen graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas. She married Thomas Sloan Boyd, Sr. in Pasadena, Calif., while he was serving in the Navy.
Helen had four children and was a phenomenal mother. Her incredible positive outlook on life was contagious. That positivity, combined with her resourcefulness, made her not only a very popular friend, but also a very successful career woman. She worked in a variety of roles including dance instructor at Arthur Murray in Denver, jewelry sales at Denman’s in Stuttgart, Ark., and then as the Director of The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie.
Helen’s life was defined by her faith in God, her strong work ethic, total fearlessness, and her overflowing, passionate, all-encompassing love. Helen’s faith was rock solid, formed and fortified by Bible study and experience. When she said, “I trust God, I know He will take care of it,” she meant it. She marveled at God’s sense of humor, bringing her to be the first director of an agricultural museum with nearly zero experience in that realm. She tackled that job and every task she undertook completely determined to learn about the agricultural history and people of the Stuttgart area. With creativity and great managerial skills, for 25 years Helen helped to create the award-winning treasure that is now the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie.
To know Helen was to be loved by Helen. She loved God and worshipping with her beloved Emanuel Lutheran Church family for 50+ years. She loved her family and friends with complete affection, encouragement, support and care. There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were the greatest, best and most precious and important person in the world to her. Helen also loved all children and enjoyed sharing with them and everyone else her love of New York Yankees, beautiful music, great food, ping-pong, Skip Bo, dancing, flowers, travel, animals, pretty clothes, theater. Helen loved life and we are thankful she was in ours.
Helen breathed her last breath and died at a good old age, a woman full of life and the wisdom of her years, who was gathered to her Savior and the Saints in Heaven.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Louise and Francis Person; the father of her children, Thomas Boyd Sr.; four brothers, Johnny, Louis, Francis and Henry Person; along with two amazing sisters, Isabelle Budy and Loulette Slizeski; one son, Thomas Sloan Boyd Jr.; one granddaughter, Suzanne Elizabeth Boyd; and one great-granddaughter, Himeko Luna Tamashiro.
She is survived by her three loving children, CeCe Blackwell and husband Paul from Wabbaseka, Ark., son Randall Boyd and wife Karen from Keller, Texas, and oldest son Ron Boyd and wife Debbie from Mansfield, Texas. Helen had six spectacular grandchildren and eight incredible great-grandchildren along with many wonderful cousins, nephews and nieces all of which were a blessing in her life.
A private burial service will be Sunday, May 3, in Arkansas with a big celebration of her life planned in the near future.
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to Emanuel Lutheran Church, 209 S. Grand Avenue, Stuttgart, Ark., 72160 or The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie (grandprairiemuseum.org).